IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/jpamgt/v13y1994i4p699-722.html

Black employment problems: New evidence, old questions

Author

Listed:
  • Harry J. Holzer

    (Professor of Economics at Michigan State University)

Abstract

This article attempts to review and synthesize some new evidence on the employment problems of young blacks, especially relating to the issues of skill and spatial mismatch, racial discrimination, crime, and immigration. I also discuss various interpretations of these phenomena and highlight the fact that both shifts in demand (that is, employers and jobs) and the characteristics and responses of supply (that is, workers) in the labor market appear to be responsible for recent trends in employment and earnings among young blacks. This implies that government policy should focus directly on demand-side issues (such as job availability) in the short term, and especially on improving the adjustment of the black labor force to these shifts in demand over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Harry J. Holzer, 1994. "Black employment problems: New evidence, old questions," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(4), pages 699-722.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:13:y:1994:i:4:p:699-722
    DOI: 10.2307/3325494
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.2307/3325494
    File Function: Link to full text; subscription required
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2307/3325494?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Levy, Frank & Murnane, Richard J, 1992. "U.S. Earnings Levels and Earnings Inequality: A Review of Recent Trends and Proposed Explanations," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 30(3), pages 1333-1381, September.
    2. Abraham, Katharine G, 1986. "Structural/Frictional vs. Deficient Demand Unemployment: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(1), pages 273-276, March.
    3. George J. Borjas, 1992. "National Origin and the Skills of Immigrants in the Postwar Period," NBER Chapters, in: Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas, pages 17-48, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. David Card, 1990. "The Impact of the Mariel Boatlift on the Miami Labor Market," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 43(2), pages 245-257, January.
    5. Keith R. Ihlanfeldt & David L. Sjoquist, 1991. "The Effect of Job Access on Black and White Youth Employment: A Cross-sectional Analysis," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 28(2), pages 255-265, April.
    6. Gary Burtless, 1985. "Are Targeted Wage Subsidies Harmful? Evidence from a Wage Voucher Experiment," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 39(1), pages 105-114, October.
    7. Wayne Vroman, 1990. "Black Men's Relative Earnings: Are the Gains Illusory?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 44(1), pages 83-98, October.
    8. Grogger, Jeff, 1992. "Arrests, Persistent Youth Joblessness, and Black/White Employment Differentials," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 74(1), pages 100-106, February.
    9. Richard B. Freeman & Harry J. Holzer, 1986. "The Black Youth Employment Crisis," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number free86-1, August.
    10. Joseph G. Altonji & David Card, 1989. "The Effects of Immigration on the Labor Market Outcomes of Natives," NBER Working Papers 3123, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. John M. Abowd & Richard B. Freeman, 1991. "Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number abow91-1, August.
    12. Case, A.C. & Katz, L.F., 1991. "The Company You Keep: The Effects Of Family And Neighborhood On Disadvantaged Younths," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1555, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    13. Hanushek, Eric A. & Rivkin, Steven G. & Jamison, Dean T., 1992. "Improving educational outcomes while controlling costs," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 205-238, December.
    14. Kevin Hollenbeck & Richard J. Willke, 1991. "The Employment and Earnings Impacts of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit," Upjohn Working Papers 91-07, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    15. Chinhui Juhn, 1992. "Decline of Male Labor Market Participation: The Role of Declining Market Opportunities," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(1), pages 79-121.
    16. Harry J. Holzer, 1986. "Black Youth Nonemployment: Duration and Job Search," NBER Chapters, in: The Black Youth Employment Crisis, pages 23-73, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Freeman, Richard B. & Holzer, Harry J. (ed.), 1986. "The Black Youth Employment Crisis," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226261645, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Katharine L. Bradbury, 2000. "Rising tide in the labor market: to what degree do expansions benefit the disadvantaged?," New England Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, issue May, pages 3-33.
    2. Harry J. Holzer & Paul Offner, 2001. "Trends in Employment Outcomes of Young Black Men, 1979-2000," JCPR Working Papers 245, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    3. H. J. Holzer, "undated". "Employer Demand, AFDC Recipients, and Labor Market Policy," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1115-96, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    4. Yolanda Kodrzycki, 2000. "Discouraged and other marginally attached workers: evidence on their role in the labor market," New England Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, issue May, pages 35-40.
    5. Edward W. Hill & Harold L. Wolman, 1997. "Accounting for the Change in Income Disparities between US Central Cities and their Suburbs from 1980 to 1990," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 34(1), pages 43-60, January.
    6. Elizabeth J. Mueller & Alex Schwartz, 1998. "Leaving Poverty through Work: A Review of Current Development Strategies," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 12(2), pages 166-180, May.
    7. L. Quillian, "undated". "Migration Patterns and the Growth of High-Poverty Neighborhoods, 1970–1990," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1172-98, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    8. H Bauder & E Perle, 1999. "Spatial and Skills Mismatch for Labor-Market Segments," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 31(6), pages 959-977, June.
    9. Robert W. Fairlie & William A. Sundstrom, 1999. "The Emergence, Persistence, and Recent Widening of the Racial Unemployment Gap," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 52(2), pages 252-270, January.
    10. James Johnson & Elisa Bienenstock & Jennifer Stoloff, 1995. "An empirical test of the cultural capital hypothesis," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 23(4), pages 7-27, June.
    11. H. J. Holzer & S. Danziger, "undated". "Are Jobs Available for Disadvantaged Workers in Urban Areas?," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1157-98, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    12. H. J. Holzer & R. J. LaLonde, "undated". "Job Change and Job Stability among Less-Skilled Young Workers," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1191-99, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    13. Glenn C. Loury, 1998. "Discrimination in the Post-Civil Rights Era: Beyond Market Interactions," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 117-126, Spring.
    14. Bernard E. Anderson, 2000. "Worker Protection Policies in the New Century," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 207-214, Winter.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. H. J. Holzer, "undated". "Employer Demand, AFDC Recipients, and Labor Market Policy," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1115-96, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    2. Harry J. Holzer, 2009. "The Labor Market and Young Black Men: Updating Moynihan's Perspective," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 621(1), pages 47-69, January.
    3. H. J. Holzer & R. J. LaLonde, "undated". "Job Change and Job Stability among Less-Skilled Young Workers," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1191-99, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    4. H. J. Holzer, "undated". "Employer hiring decisions and antidiscrimination policy," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1085-96, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    5. Chinhui Juhn, 2003. "Labor Market Dropouts and Trends in the Wages of Black and White Men," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(4), pages 643-662, July.
    6. Frölich, Markus & Puhani, Patrick A., 2002. "Immigration and Heterogeneous Labor in Western Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 418, IZA Network @ LISER.
    7. Hercowitz, Z. & Yashiv, E., 1999. "A Macroeconomic Experiment in Mass Immigration," Papers 15-99, Tel Aviv.
    8. Reuter, Peter & Roman, John & Gaviria, Alejandro, 2000. "Comments," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 123283, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Ethan Lewis, 2004. "How did the Miami labor market absorb the Mariel immigrants?," Working Papers 04-3, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    10. Jeff Borland, 2000. "Economic Explanations of Earnings Distribution Trends in the International Literature and Application to New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 00/16, New Zealand Treasury.
    11. Kenneth A. Couch & Douglas J. Besharov & David Neumark, 2013. "Spurring Job Creation in Response to Severe Recessions: Reconsidering Hiring Credits," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 142-171, January.
    12. Saiz, Albert, 2007. "Immigration and housing rents in American cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 345-371, March.
    13. Card, David, 2001. "Immigrant Inflows, Native Outflows, and the Local Labor Market Impacts of Higher Immigration," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 19(1), pages 22-64, January.
    14. Duncan, Brian & Trejo, Stephen J., 2011. "Low-Skilled Immigrants and the U.S. Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 5964, IZA Network @ LISER.
    15. Juhn, Chinhui & Kim, Dae Il, 1999. "The Effects of Rising Female Labor Supply on Male Wages," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(1), pages 23-48, January.
    16. Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano & Giovanni Peri, 2021. "Rethinking The Effect Of Immigration On Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Firms and Workers in a Globalized World Larger Markets, Tougher Competition, chapter 9, pages 245-290, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    17. M. Badgett, 1994. "Rising black unemployment: Changes in job stability or in employability?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 22(3), pages 55-75, March.
    18. Barry Chiswick & Timothy J. Hatton, 2003. "International Migration and the Integration of Labor Markets," NBER Chapters, in: Globalization in Historical Perspective, pages 65-120, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Schmidt, Christoph & Fertig, Michael, 2001. "First- and Second-Generation Migrants in Germany - What Do We Know and What Do People Think," CEPR Discussion Papers 2803, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Kristin F. Butcher & Anne Morrison Piehl, 1998. "Recent Immigrants: Unexpected Implications for Crime and Incarceration," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 51(4), pages 654-679, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:13:y:1994:i:4:p:699-722. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/34787/home .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.